Storm Shadows
by BitterSweetTeller
Summary: A figurative storm has come across the galaxy, casting shadows upon the Federation, its allies, and its enemies. Rated K plus for action and suggestive content.
1. Part 1: Stranger

Storm Shadows: A Deep Space Nine/Voyager Crossover

Side Notes: This story is set in a quantum reality different from the mainstream one, not counting the reboot. And please watch Star Trek: First Contact(the movie), the fifth season of Voyager, and the sixth season of Deep Space Nine before reading this story. It'll make more sense this way. And even if you don't want to watch one of these things, you can look any of these things up on Memory Alpha to help you get caught up.

Part 1:

Somewhere, in space…

On a Hideki class Cardassian shuttle, the inside of the shuttle looks similar to the bridge of Dukat's starship. That is, in the way that a Federation shuttle looks similar to a Federation starship. Outside, the sight of pinkish plasma storms in space is coming closer and closer.

A Cardassian Intelligence operative with medium slicked black hair named Orrak is being briefed on a mission by one of two other Cardassians. He reveals, "in light of the Romulans starting to give the Federation the upper hand, you are to infiltrate Shinzon's warship the Scimitar by pretending to defect to the Federation. A Dominion virus encoded in the datapad we gave you will let you and a changeling take over the ship in the interests of the Dominion."

Orrak asks, "then why doesn't the changeling take over the ship?"

The other Cardassian points out, "that was probably what was originally planned...but Shinzon is clever. The information gathered from the changeling though is the key to giving the Dominion the upper hand. Shinzon's people are Remans, a splinter group of Romulans that have some degree of telepathy. This is why you were given neural Dominion treatment to think two conflicting thoughts at the same time. But, focus on your mission."

Orrak says a little uneasy, "I understand."

The first Cardassian adds, "good. Whoever controls the Scimitar can rule the Quadrant...but the changeling on Martok's flagship should make that a bit easier."

The second Cardassian informs Orrak, "in a matter of minutes, we'll be in the Badlands. A leading Jem'Hadar fighter of a Dominion squad will beam the rest of us onboard, and the squad will chase you towards the Scimitar to make it look authentic. The Scimitar is scheduled to attack a Ketracel-white facility in the Badlands soon."

When the shuttle gets to the Badlands…

Orrak sees the Scimitar as a distant gray warship that looks like a Romulan styled Klingon bird-of-prey that is at least three times the size of a typical starship. The second Cardassian reminds Orrak, "remember...don't fail Cardassia."

Orrak tries to assure them, "I won't." As a squad of ten Jem'Hadar fighters and twenty Cardassian cruisers comes towards Orrak's shuttle, the other two Cardassians beam away.

As the squad starts firing at Orrak, two conflicting and equally strong thoughts come to him: That this many Cardassian cruisers at risk just for deception is too costly for Cardassia, and that it's nothing to worry about. Now Orrak is faced with a big split second decision, from which there may be no going back.

Orrak is chased by the squad of Dominion forces, but he uses the Badlands' plasma storms and gravitational anomalies as cover to escape their firepower. Orrak mutters coldly, "for Cardassia."

A few hours later…

Orrak sighs to himself a little, "finally!" He finds Martok's flagship the IKS Rotarran. Orrak is hailed by Martok himself and his Klingon first officer with long dark brown hair named K'Olagh. Martok asks Orrak suspiciously, "what do you want, Cardassian?"

Orrak somewhat uneasily points out, "it is vital that you hear me out. Your lives could depend on it."

K'Olagh challenges, "and how do we know you won't betray us to the Dominion?"

Martok assures him, "K'Olagh does have a point...but I'm sure that Starfleet will be interested to know what a Cardassian shuttle is doing in the middle of nowhere." Then, a few Jem'Hadar fighters come out of nowhere to blast Orrak's shuttle to pieces. He does the best he can as the transmission gets interference, but the shuttle is about to explode.

Orrak chuckles a little, "so that is the way it is going to be, huh?" Then, an emergency beam out happens around the same time that the Rotarran goes to warp. Orrak purposely set a course straight for the Jem'Hadar fighters beforehand, letting the impact of the explosion distract the Jem'Hadar long enough to get away.

Meanwhile, Orrak is beamed to a transporter pad in the Rotarran, where K'Olagh and Martok are waiting with several armed Bekks. K'Olagh urges, "this way."

Orrak says, "what took you so long?"

K'Olagh mutters coldly, "don't get used to it. Move!" Without another word, Orrak follows the two of them to Martok's ready room under guard. That is, until he gets into the ready room.

Martok suggests, "start talking."

In a matter of ten or so minutes, Orrak tells them about there being a changeling onboard Martok's flagship and about the changeling onboard Shinzon's flagship.

Martok concludes with a uneasy sigh, "as much as I hate him, let's see what Gowron has to say anyway. If I don't, who knows what he'll do? K'Olagh, watch our Cardassian friend."

A somewhat short while later…

Martok mutters, "the nerve of Gowron! Suggesting that I should get another crew to avoid the whole thing. We are Klingons...not cowards! And this doesn't really change our plans: Just that we might need some more security."

K'Olagh suggests, "some experienced Bekks?"

Martok figures with a pat on his back, "bring them in." K'Olagh does that while Martok watches you. One thought tells Orrak to do nothing, while another tells Orrak to get rid of Martok for the good of Cardassia.

After a short while…

On the IKS Rotarran's Bridge, K'Olagh, Doran, Leskit as helmsman, N'Garen as weapons officer and security chief, Alexander at Ops(who is onboard for a limited time), and the rest of the crew are listening to Supreme Commander Martok.

He tells his crew in English, "a Cardassian Intelligence informer has just told me that there is a changeling among us. Since the information is coming from a Cardassian, there is reason to doubt it. But, in light of a changeling having the dishonor to impersonate me last year, I wouldn't put it past them. Gowron thinks I should get myself another crew to avoid this conflict, but we're better than that: We are Klingons. And we're going to Ty'Gokor to get as many birds of prey as we can to join us in glory for the Empire!"

Many Klingon cries of cheer fill the Bridge. Martok continues, "if though there is any dishonor on my ship, I and several Bekks will personally escort the one responsible off my ship. That is all."

With K'Olagh's duty being first officer despite his rank as lieutenant, Martok tells him in Klingon, "keep an eye out for any dishonor...but I'll notice if you're dishonorable."

K'Olagh tries to assure him, "understood, Supreme Commander."

Martok adds, "good." K'Olagh stays on the Bridge as Martok and N'Garen go into Martok's ready room.

Martok switches places with several Bekks. Then after another while, Martok and another member of his Klingon Bridge crew named N'Garen come into the ready room to switch places with those several Bekks. N'Garen chuckles a little, "so this is the Cardassian Intelligence informer." Martok figures, "right...and we're going to stay in here until the Cardassian's information is put to the test."

Hours later…

Martok's crew gets to the asteroid belt that Ty'Gokor is in. And things seem to be going okay. Even in the Mess Hall, the crew has tried to act without fear. But, K'Olagh notices some subtle uneasiness in most of them. K'Olagh even asked them what troubles them, but they basically each said it was nothing to be concerned about.

Then, something bad happens. A changeling arrives, slipping through the air vents in gold liquid form before solidifying as a changeling in its true form. It has shoulder length red hair, a partially shapeless face, and a pale red featureless jumpsuit like suit. The changeling chuckles, "you really thought you could leave the Dominion behind? Well, you're dead wrong."

N'Garen comments, "well, it's a good thing that Klingons didn't join the Dominion...or that would've mattered." Before a somewhat shaken Orrak can say anything, N'Garen charges at the changeling with her Bat'leth and a Klingon roar. She just slams N'Garen against the wall with an extended arm, dazing her.

Martok mutters with a small sigh, "fine! You were right. Satisfied now?"

Orrak retorts, "much."

The changeling points out, "oh, that's not why I came. You're dead to me, Martok."

Martok figures, "then I'll send you to Gre'thor."

As Martok is getting ready for battle with his Bat'leth, two thoughts come to mind for Orrak. One is to offer the datapad he still has as a better alternative to assassination, while the other is to help fight the changeling.

Martok comments, "I hate changelings."

Orrak cries out, "for Cardassia!" He fires at the changeling, not caring about anything else. But, the changeling turns into a small gold water like wave that lets the phaser pass through it and knocks Orrak to the ground. Then, it easily rams its arms into Orrak and Martok's chests at the same time. Martok is knocked to the ground.

The changeling mutters, "the pride of the solids."

Orrak coughs violently as he falls into unconscious.

Martok mutters coldly, "no." Even if one of the other Klingon crew members stops the changeling, Orrak has fallen. N'Garen gets up, only to realize the changeling has already escaped from the room. She rushes over to the Bridge, hoping she's not too late.

N'Garen reports, "there's been an attack!"

K'Olagh follows her into Martok's ready room, accompanied by several Bekks. K'Olagh finds a certain Cardassian in civilian clothes...lying unconscious on the floor with a phaser in hand. Martok is struggling to his feet, clutching a wound in his chest.

K'Olagh asks a little shaken, "what happened?"

Martok mutters angrily, "changelings have no honor!" He turns to N'Garen and tells her in Klingon, "for the first time, a Cardassian was doing the right thing for the right reasons. It may never happen again."

K'Olagh chuckles a little, "really?"

Martok sighs a little, "not now, K'Olagh."

N'Garen tells Martok in Klingon, "a changeling is most likely on the Bridge. I recommend having more Bekks on the Bridge."

Martok, "what do you think, K'Olagh?"

K'Olagh suggests, "I recommend we check who was last near the ready room."

Martok figures with a small chuckle, "good then: We can get this whole incident behind us before we get to Ty'Gokor." He and N'Garen follow Martok back to the Bridge.

Martok asks Alexander to show the sensor logs from a certain time index, but it looks as though they've been erased.

N'Garen mutters in Klingon, "how could...?!"

Martok reveals with a sigh, "compared to the Dominion's weapons and soldiers, our technology would be as easy as eating Gagh for a changeling to figure out."

Alexander wonders uneasily, "then how will we know who it is?"

Martok gives him a glaring look and says, "did you have anything to do with this?"

Alexander figures a little uneasy, "no, General."

Martok insists, "why don't I believe you?"

N'Garen urges in Klingon, "that's enough! Any Klingon on the Bridge could still be the changeling."

Martok remarks to N'Garen, "and what should I do...start accusing you?"

Orrak ironically chuckles a little, "it would be like a changeling to start distrust…and who better to do that than Worf's own son?"

Alexander says in a low tone, "you don't understand. My father's life...all of Deep Space Nine is in danger!"

Then, Reskit suddenly steers the Rotarran straight for a orbital facility. Martok roars, "you?!"

Reskit chuckles a little, "we should have never trusted a boy to do a changeling's work."

N'Garen urges, "let's send this treacherous changeling to Gre'thor."

Martok remarks, "I may be wounded...but I'm still a warrior."

N'Garen leads a warrior's charge with Martok, K'Olagh, and Doran, but tumbles out of the way of several punches from the changeling's extending arms along with Martok, K'Olagh, and Doran. Martok, Doran, K'Olagh, and N'Garen stab the changeling from both sides, pinning most of the changeling's body by the waist.

K'Olagh remarks, "looks like you have nowhere to go but Gre'Thor."

N'Garen calls out, "now!" As the changeling turns into a computer console, two random Bekks come in for a group charge from behind. Martok and N'Garen's Bat'leths break under the weight of the changeling's new form. And just as the changeling starts to change back to its true form, the two random Bekks plunge their Bat'leths into the fake computer part of the changeling. At the same time, the changeling extends its arms to try to knock N'Garen, Doran, and Martok unconscious.

The caught off guard changeling falls to the ground unconscious in humanoid form, nearly taking out N'Garen, Doran, and Martok. As the changeling goes down, it cries out, "the Founders...can't be...!" The changeling doesn't get to finish the sentence. Alexander uneasily gets up, recovering from his wound with help from biological Klingon redundancies.

Alexander urges, "is it...?"

Orrak assures him coldly, "it's over."

N'Garen says, "I'll tell the rest of the crew. You get your rest."

Doran concludes, "I'll get the bloodwine." N'Garen leaves the three of them alone in the ready room and stays on the Bridge.

Martok realizes, "you never really wanted to be a warrior, did you?"

Alexander uneasily says, "I didn't have a choice. To get onboard, I had to go along with it...to wait until the time was right to tell you. But, the changeling..."

Martok assures him with a hand on his shoulder, "you may not be much of a warrior, but you do have courage. Worf would be honored."

Alexander figures, "I'll tell him...when we get back to Deep Space Nine."

Martok says to him, "good." Martok says with a groan, "K'Olagh, you have the Bridge."

And with that, Martok heads to his quarters to rest...most likely until the Rotarran touches down on Ty'Gokor and some Federation medical help can be provided to Martok. But with Martok's biological Klingon redundancies, he'll live. Alexander alerts K'Olagh, "captain, there's ten Jem'Hadar fighters and twenty Cardassian cruisers orbiting Ty'Gokor."

K'Olagh responds, "I see them." He sees on the Bridge viewscreen that the orbiting Dominion ships are closing in. They're firing polaron beams and disruptors at the patroling Klingon birds-of-prey. The thirty patrolling Klingon birds-of-prey have already cloaked seconds before they were attacked, seemingly firing phasers from out of nowhere. Unfortunately, even though things seem evenly matched here, several oribital facilities get taken out by some Cardassian cruisers' disruptors in an effort to tip the scales. K'Olagh hails Klingon military headquarters and orders all available Klingon warships on Ty'Gokor to sneak attack the Dominion forces.

The Rotarran joins in the fight soon after. Unfortunately, it seems that the Jem'Hadar fighters can detect most of the Klingon birds-of-prey. Some of the Jem'Hadar fighters self destruct, each in between two groups of three Klingon birds-of-prey. The shockwaves take out most of the remaining Klingon birds-of-prey's shields, leaving them open to attack by the remaining fifteen Cardassian cruisers' phasers and disrupters.

However, the Rotarran and the incoming Klingon birds-of-prey and Klingon battle cruisers manage to take out the Jem'Hadar's shields from behind, leaving the Jem'Hadar vulnerable to attack. By outnumbering the Dominion forces, the crew of the Rotarran and the Klingon patrol win the battle with considerable ease. Klingon bloodwine is shared all around in celebration of this victory for the Federation, and the crew gets back to normal within the next few days with the exception of Alexander.


	2. Part 2: Overprotected

Storm Shadows: A Deep Space Nine/Voyager Crossover

Part 2:

Across the Milky Way Galaxy, on Voyager…

An away team has been assembled for a mission including a female Betazoid with shoulder length brown hair named Endri, a female Vulcan with short black hair named T'Pak, a male human with medium blond hair named Hiron, and Seven of Nine(who's leading the mission).

Seven of Nine briefs the away team in the Astrometrics Lab, "we have found multiple spatial trajectors and a high concentration of quartz on a regenerating Borg cube that will be within range in ten minutes. Endri, you'll be second in command of this away team."

Endri responds, "good."

Seven of Nine continues, "our objective is to take the trajector technology...and if need be, to destroy them. We have a half hour before the Borg cube fully regenerates."

Armed with phaser rifles just in case, Seven of Nine and her away team energize from a transporter room to a Borg corridor. Most of the Borg drones are too busy repairing their ship to even notice, but some of them are standing ready near their Borg alcoves. While these some are a small percentage, they are still considered many. Seven of Nine leads the away team down the corridor, towards one of the spatial trajectors. Endri realizes, "wait. This is assimilated Sikarian technology."

Seven of Nine reasons, "which is part of the logic of why we cannot let the Borg have it." She wants Endri and T'Pak to create a series of distractions while she and Hiron set pattern enhancers around the trajectors.

As a certain Borg drone walks towards a heavily damaged section of the ship, it sees the Voyager away team.

The Borg Collective says to this Borg drone, "we are Borg. We need shields at 80% efficiency to help the rest of our ship go back to 80% efficiency."

Endri responds, "I won't let down Voyager."

Seven of Nine adds, "that would be efficient." She and Hiron go further into one of the Borg corridors around them.

T'Pak figures, "at the risk of sounding illogical, I have a suggestion. The Borg have organic and inorganic parts that work together for each function, including collective telepathy. Maybe you can distract them with your telepathy."

Endri chuckles a little, "what are we going to do: Bore them to death?"

T'Pak points out, "it was merely a suggestion."

Endri figures, "yeah, well…I know of something they can't adapt to."

T'Pak sighs a little, "the spatial charges."

Endri concludes, "right. If you have a problem with that, you can stick around and watch."

T'Pak reluctantly decides, "it would be logical to help you."

Endri says, "that's better." She and T'Pak set up some button activated spatial charges near places being repaired.

A considerate number of minutes go by, and that certain Borg drone is in the heavily damaged section that the Borg Collective wants it to help fix. T'Pak deduces, "now."

Endri concludes, "gladly." She presses the button for the charges, causing some big explosions in multiple corridors.

As that one Borg drone uses a Borg alcove to help regenerate the shields, an explosion charge destroys its alcove. The impact knocks it unconscious, as the voice of the Collective seems to disappear altogether.

Seven of Nine tells the transporter chief on Voyager to beam the trajectors into a cargo bay. Seven of Nine adds, "five to beam up."

The random transporter chief asks uneasily, "five?"

Seven of Nine insists, "do it."

The random transporter chief adds, "yes, ma'am." Having bought some more time, the away team gets beamed back to Voyager safe and sound. That is, until they realize that a number of Borg drones have somehow beamed over through Voyager's shields during the transport back to Voyager.

Five Borg drones come into the transporter room and quickly manage to assimilate the crew member at the transporter controls. Endri mutters, "seriously?"

T'Pak deduces, "the spatial trajectors do have a very wide range of transporter capability."

Hiron points out, "we need a plan."

Seven of Nine figures, "to adapt." She, T'Pak, and Hiron start firing phaser rifles at rotating frequencies, taking out three of them.

Endri mutters, "I already lost one crew to the Borg, and I'm not about to lose one now!" She quickly goes to the transporter pad controls, using it to lock onto and start beaming the away team to the Bridge.

Seven of Nine tries to assure her, "we will not." The remaining nearby Borg drone tries to disrupt the transport attempt with its Borg assimilation tubules, but Seven of Nine quickly programs a countermeasure to have the away team succeed in beaming to the Bridge anyway. The away team escapes from the transporter room with minor wounds, but it seems that Tuvok and Tom Paris are the only main crew members still on the Bridge. Many Borg are lying on the Bridge floor, and it sounds like more are coming onto the Bridge in a matter of minutes.

Tom wonders, "what took you so long?"

Tuvok says, "given the circumstances, we must dispense with pleasantries and find a way to stop the Borg from taking over the ship. Security can't hold them off much longer."

Seven of Nine suggests, "I recommend beaming them all back to the Borg vessel. They share the same signal."

Endri suggests, "why don't we just reprogram them instead?"

Seven of Nine reminds her, "your recommendation is noted."

Endri adds, "of course."

Tuvok reasons, "it would be harder for the Borg to adapt to being temporarily reprogrammed."

Endri figures, "least it's better than..."

Seven of Nine asks, "than what?"

Endri nervously says, "it's nothing."

Seven of Nine concludes, "then it's irrelevant." With help from Seven of Nine's programming, Endri reprograms every Borg drone on Voyager to stand down just before the Borg overtake the Bridge.

At least half of the rest of the crew is beginning to be assimilated, but it's nothing Seven of Nine, surviving medical teams with sedatives, and the EMH doctor can't fix. The Borg are beamed back to their ship under Captain Janeway's orders by some healthy crew members. Tom Paris steers clear of the Borg ship before the Borg can react. And with the projector technology, Voyager's crew could be one step closer to home.

A few days later…

That one Borg drone knocked unconscious from earlier wakes up in Voyager's Sickbay, finding herself restrained on a medical bed. The EMH doctor notices her. He deduces, "ahh. The new nanoprobes have helped heal you from your severe burns. And just as Seven predicted, they've helped slow the restoration of your biological immune system."

The recovering Borg drone starts to get up, but thinks better of it when pain courses through her and lies back down. Seven of Nine then comes in. She asks, "how is...?"

The EMH doctor mostly rephrases what he told the Borg drone without having the meaning lost. He says, "if you need me, I'll be looking after my holographic family." The EMH doctor disappears from Sickbay, leaving behind a curious Seven of Nine.

The recovering Borg drone nervously wonders, "what happened to…?"

Seven of Nine reveals, "you were unintentionally and mostly destroyed hours ago. You are no longer Borg: You are an individual. Do you understand?"

The recovering Borg drone concludes, "no. Explain."

Seven of Nine figures, "My designation is Seven of Nine, tertiary adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One. We should establish a direct neural link so that you can better adapt to being a part of this collective. You must comply."

The recovering Borg drone responds, "we, Four of Ten, will comply."

Seven of Nine uses a neural link to update Four of Ten on the situation on Voyager. Four of Ten already remembers from the Borg Collective that the Borg have assimilated a few Sikarians a while ago...and therefore enough knowledge to make Sikarian spatial projectors and a chamber of quartz to keep them operational. That is, if it worked. The anti-neutrinos produced by the trajectors' matrixes were almost too much for the Borg to adapt to, which resulted in nearly destroying the Borg cube Four of Ten was on.

Then an away team from Voyager tried to stop them, intending to use the technology themselves. Four of Ten realizes that this resulted in the incident that almost destroyed her, when the away team tried to escape and Seven of Nine had her beamed to Voyager with them. Since then, Voyager's crew had been nearly assimilated. But, Endri suggested that the Borg drones onboard should be reprogrammed to stand down and Voyager barely escaped from assimilation.

Seven of Nine says, "if you are well enough, you can rest in Cargo Bay 2. There are more than enough alcoves to accommodate you there."

A few hours later…

As Four of Ten rests in her Borg alcove, she has a big decision to make: To either help Voyager's crew in future Borg encounters, or to try returning to the Collective. Only her proximity transceiver has been deactivated by the EMH doctor during the time that she was unconscious, due to the fact that she still needs some time to heal up fully.

As Seven of Nine is regenerating, Four of Ten purposely sets her regeneration cycle earlier than Seven of Nine's regeneration cycle to wake up earlier.

On the next day, in the early morning…

Four of Ten is still feeling considerably drained, but gathers enough strength to move around the cargo bay. She notices a perfect way to avoid being seen in the corridors: A cargo transporter with blue panels built into the cargo bay floor.

Before Four of Ten uses the transporter, she programs a delayed command to lock onto and beam everyone around her to Cargo Bay 2. This is considering how drained she feels. Only Seven of Nine can have detected it, but she is still regenerating. She beams herself over to Endri. Knowing that Endri could make a valuable Borg, Four of Ten gets ready to assimilate her with her assimilation tubules. Four of Ten mutters coldly, "resistance is futile."

Endri calls out, "hold it, Borg!" Before anyone can fire phasers, the nearest Starfleet security officers on duty get beamed over to Cargo Bay 2.

Four of Ten puts up force fields around a few branching out corridors to protect herself. Four of Ten then tries to assimilate Endri, but Endri blasts her with her phaser. Four of Ten clutches her side as she's knocked off her feet, feeling a heightened degree of pain from within. As she gets up, Seven of Nine appears before Four of Ten herself with a Voyager security team that now includes Endri. Seven of Nine concludes, "your confusion is irrelevant. If you start a collective, you'll soon lose your individuality."

Four of Ten mutters between coughing, "but…the voices! We are…!"

Seven of Nine assures her, "I know this is hard, but individuality does not always weaken a collective."

Endri whispers harshly, "what are you…?"

Seven of Nine urges, "quiet! Four of Ten, do you understand that you are fighting against a collective very much like the Collective?"

Four of Ten sighs, "then why did you let Voyager's collective do this to you? What is so unique about this collective compared to other collectives like yours?"

Seven of Nine remarks, "because sometimes perfection is not efficient enough. The anti-neutrinos produced by the Sikarian trajector matrixes were not taken into account, despite the Borg's best efforts to build working Sikarian spatial trajectors. Now do you understand that resistance is futile here?"

Four of Ten concludes uneasily, "we…I mean I, Four, do."

Seven of Nine figures, "a efficient response. We will escort you back."

Four of Ten lets Seven of Nine lead her back to Cargo Bay 2 alongside the security team. Endri mutters, "if you ask me, the only good Borg is a...!"

Seven of Nine points out, "we weren't...but this implies that you don't trust me. Your emotions about me are irrelevant here."

Endri uneasily responds, "sorry, sir...ma'am."

Seven of Nine responds, "sufficient enough." Four of Ten says nothing more around the security team.

Meanwhile, Voyager escapes in time from passing by Borg vessels to avoid assimilation. Four of Ten now has restricted access to all transporters and decks...and Seven of Nine is supposed to escort her to wherever she goes from now on.


	3. Part 3: Resistance

Storm Shadows: A Deep Space Nine/Voyager Crossover

Part 3:

Back in the Alpha Quadrant, on the Enterprise E…

An away team has been assembled for a mission including a male Vulcan with short light brown hair named Tyrik. Since this is intended as a mission of peace with a male dominated race called the Talarians, the other two people coming with Tyrik to a transporter room are Captain Picard and Data. Tyrik was transferred from another Federation vessel and selected for this mission because he specializes in sociology with a number of other races including the Talarians...and because he is expected to have a clear head since he's Vulcan.

Tyrik asks as he hides his emotions like a typical Vulcan, "why have we been sent to the Talarian home planet Talar?"

Captain Picard briefs him on the way, "a year after Captain Sisko's contact with the Dominion, the Romulans attempted to overtake the Federation by supplying the tactful Talarians with Romulan technology and claiming that the Talarians stole it from the Romulans. The trap almost destroyed several Federation starships...but Captain Endar and several other Talarian warships came together to turn on their own fleet at the last minute."

Tyrik reasons, "does that imply that Romulans are threatening the peace again?"

Data adds, "I hope not, but we cannot tell for certain at this time. More recently, it seems that the Federation ambassador to the Talarians has been replaced by a Betazoid woman ambassador named Amin. And most Talarian men have sent strong complaints and war threats to the Federation. Yet, most Federation admirals say that they didn't put Amin into the role of Federation ambassador to the Talarians."

Tyrik figures, "so there is a conspiracy." He, Captain Picard, and Data arrive at one of the transporter rooms on the Enterprise E. It looks very much like an Enterprise D transporter room, except with a lot more tan yellow lines with complex hollow circle and line designs across them.

Captain Picard suggests, "possibly. The Federation wants us to find out why Amin became a Federation ambassador...and to do our best to maintain the Federation's peace treaty with the Talarians." As the three of them step onto the tranporter pad, Captain Picard says to the transporter pad operator, "energize."

Tyrik and his away team find themselves in a city of dark red stone towers capped with gray metallic domes. Blackish grey charcoal colored roads circle around these windowed towers, and matching six hoofed horse like steeds called T'stayans with fur like yellowish saddles and groomed back hair have Talarian riders riding them. Beyond the towers is a wide range of desert, with brown sand and blue leafed trees with spikes. Valleys cut across it, and a red sun shines upon it.

Most of the riders are bearded men, with light brown to light blond hair around the sting ray like bulge on top of each of their heads. They wear mostly light brown armor that look like a cross between animal hide and leather. A group of two Talarian men and one Talarian teenage boy in the same fashion come out of one of the towers to greet the away team. One of the Talarian men says, "hello, Captain Picard. May the best captain win." Captain Picard politely shakes hands with the gloved Talarian captain.

Captain Picard suggests warily, "as a friend...or as a enemy?"

The Talarian captain adds, "I am Tybol, captain of Clon Towers. But for us Talarians, even our enemies are respected friends. The only reason why I said I wanted to talk about peace was because I have Amin." Knowing that the Talarians like war and using tricky tactics from his study of the Talarians, Tyrik finds it highly likely that Tybol has something to gain from having told Captain Picard this.

Data suggests, "then are you a friend...or a enemy?"

Tybol continues with a little chuckle, "if you value your ambassador's life, you'll help me win the competition that has become a personal blow for Talar's good men."

Tyrik inquires, "what is this competition about?"

Tybol explains, "when Amin came here, she announced her presence to all Talarians through a channel. Not long after, our women began to rebel against us...their own husbands! The Towers across Talar have stood up to their attacks...but there's no telling what they plan to do next."

Data figures, "is it possible that you brought this upon yourself?"

Tybol concludes, "no. Before Amin came, our women were content to follow Talarian traditions."

Tyrik wonders, "so to ensure the ambassador's safety, what shall we do?"

Tybol figures, "I thought you'd see it my way...although I did expect you to put up a fight. Follow me."

Captain Picard deduces, "it seems that we have no choice." Tybol and the two other male Talarians with him take out Romulan disruptors and motion for the away team to go into the tower they came out of. Along the way to a chain operated metal elevator, Tyrik notices the circular walls and floor covered in what seems to be a cross between animal fur and hide. He also notices two green monitor screens with whitish brown sting ray shaped touch keys on the walls.

A few Talarian teenage boys are watching the rest of Clon Towers from the monitors. As the away team goes up the crank operated elevator, Tybol points out, "and that's only the surface of the Talar Security Network. Each Towers has it's own unique security system."

Data concludes, "fascinating. Then no Towers has a real advantage over another?"

Tybol points out, "exactly. And it sometimes changes to keep ourselves guessing...but what's most respected here is our traditions of competition."

Tyrik mutters, "you must be very proud." He and the rest of the away team step off the elevator, finding themselves in the dome that caps this tower. Within are a couple of gray merculite rocket turrets, with a couple of Talarian men ready to fire. The floor is in the same fashion as it was downstairs. Surrounding the back of the circular room are six Talarian men and teenage boys with disruptors at hand. Two green monitor screens are on the metal wall behind the guards...and so is a certain chained up and gagged ambassador with long blond hair.

Captain Picard realizes grimly, "so there's no difference between war and competition on Talar."

Tybol concludes, "there's no war here: Only competition. But since Talarian women have had virtually no victories in centuries, the only challenge in it for us seems to be if we can stand the sight of them having pain."

Data insists, "what should we do?"

Tybol reveals, "simple: You give us some of your replicator technology, and we'll let Amin go."

Captain Picard wonders, "and if we refuse?"

Tybol figures, "then Amin won't see the sun again."

Tyrik thinks to the ambassador, "use your telepathic powers to distract Tybol."

Amin telepathically says, "but I can barely breathe...or focus! I'm scared."

Tyrik think encourages, "you are evidently capable of hearing my thoughts. Focus on the logic in my thoughts." This was in hopes that it won't be the last thing she does. Unfortunately, Tyrik can't mind meld with Amin with Talarians blocking his way...so all he can do is wait.

After a short while for what seems like forever…

Something happens. The Talarians suddenly start clutching their heads and dropping their weapons, letting Captain Picard and Data knock them out in hand to hand. Data says, "intriguing. It seems like a telepathic attack just occurred."

Tyrik explains a little uneasy, "it did: I thought encouraged Amin to. There did not seem to be any other way to protect her."

Captain Picard says, "well done, Ensign. Now let's free Amin." Phaser fire from a handheld phaser suddenly starts a fire, which starts spreading across the room.

Data adds, "captain, I'm detecting a transmission..." Suddenly, a Betazoid woman with shoulder length brown hair and jet black clothes beams into the room.

She says angrily, "Amin is going back with me!" Tyrik quickly frees Amin with his handheld phaser before something bad can happen to her.

The angry Betazoid woman mutters, "no!" Before Data can react, he gets physically turned off by an unknown source. At the same time, the angry Betazoid woman tries to focus her apparent psionic powers on giving Tyrik and captain Picard feelings of great fear.

Captain Picard says uneasily, "Data." Amin starts to get up.

She says with noticeable fear, "back off, Reia!" With Reia and Amin apparently locked in mental combat and too focused on fighting each other to affect anyone else, Tyrik has the chance to do something about it.

He suggests to Captain Picard that it might be too dangerous to interfere with Reia and Amin's mental battle, since breaking the concentration of either Betazoid could result in brain damage.

Captain Picard says, "you may have a point...but this won't hurt a bit." Before Tyrik can stop him, he fires his handheld phaser at Reia to stun her.

Amin says, "thanks."

Captain Picard wonders, "are you all right?"

Amin uneasily says, "I'm fine...now."

Captain Picard figures, "somehow, I feel that this is far from over. Picard to Enterprise! Five to beam up."

With the monitor screens taken out by the fire, Tyrik, Amin, the unconscious Betazoid woman, and the rest of the away team beam to a transporter room in time to escape the fire. A security team brings the unconscious Betazoid woman to the Brig. Tyrik, Amin, and the rest of the away team head to the conference room. Except Data, who is taken to Geordi La Forge for examination. Commander Riker, Commander Troi, Lieutenant Daniels, and Commander Crusher are also in the conference room.

Commander Crusher asks with noticeable worry in her voice, "what happened?"

Captain Picard suggests, "I think Amin knows."

Security chief Lieutenant Daniels figures, "while you were on Talar, I checked Federation records with several Federation admirals...and Amin doesn't show up on any of their records."

Commander Riker adds uneasily, "captain...do you think it could be the work of...?"

Commander Troi suggests, "perhaps she's too nervous to tell us."

Amin starts to explain nervously while breathing hard, "we don't...have much...time!"

Commander Crusher takes out a tricorder, realizing something bad. She reveals, "we have to get her to Sickbay! Amin's vital signs are fading." She quickly hyposprays Amin to sedate her into temporary unconsciousness with a emergency hypospray.

Commander Troi assures them, "Amin's still scared...but there's still hope." Suddenly, all the combadges turn off with static. Then the lights and screen on the wall go off.

Captain Picard turns to Commander Riker, "you were saying, number one?"

Commander Riker says out loud, "Section 31."

Captain Picard concludes, "perhaps."

Tyrik suggests using the manual override to get one of the non-functional automatic doors to open.

Lieutenant Daniels says, "go ahead, Ensign."

Captain Picard turns to Commander Troi, "are you sensing...?" He doesn't get to finish the sentence, because anesthizine gas coming down from the air ventilation system is starting to cover the conference room. Everyone starts coughing, trying not to inhale the gas. At the same time, Tyrik forces one of the doors open.

Captain Picard urges while beginning to cough, "we have to...get out of here!"

Commander Riker coughs, "this...way!"

Tyrik, Commander Troi, Commander Riker, Captain Picard, Commander Crusher, and Lieutenant Daniels quickly run out the door in time. Commander Crusher and Captain Picard carry unconscious Amin past the door and onto the Bridge. Tyrik checks if anyone is left behind, only to find out that there isn't to his and everyone else's partial relief. Commander Riker realizes as he and Commander Troi look at the controls, "Bridge controls are online...but not responding. If this isn't Section 31, I don't know what is." Then, Tyrik hears and sees a circular force field appear around Commander Crusher and Captain Picard.

Captain Picard calls out, "computer, turn off all force fields! Authorization Picard Four Seven Alpha Tango."

The computer responds, "authorization not recognized."

Commander Crusher urges a little nervously, "Jean-Luc?"

Captain Picard suggests, "Main Engineering. It's our only chance to beam Amin to Sickbay in time."

Tyrik responds, "I understand."

Captain Picard urges, "go! We'll be fine." While he and Tyrik were talking, more force fields come down in a attempt to separate the group even more so. Lieutenant Daniels gets trapped behind some force fields on the Bridge, much to his great frustration. Tyrik, Commander Riker, and Commander Troi though move fast enough to escape from the force fields coming up around them.

Twenty or so minutes later…

Tyrik, Commander Riker, and Commander Troi get to Main Engineering through some nearby Jefferies tubes. By the time they do, they see Geordi La Forge and a reactivated Data at the Engineering controls in growing relief. Tyrik and the two Commanders in the room see that Main Engineering itself is online. Commander Troi starts to ask, "how did...?"

Geordi explains, "years ago, Data and I ran an experiment to see if Data could serve as a emergency backup system for the Enterprise D. And with how advanced the Enterprise E is compared to the Enterprise D..."

Commander Riker chuckles a little, "you have a backup of Data in the Enterprise E."

Data says, "I'm already in the process of shutting down force fields across the Enterprise."

Tyrik points out with mostly held back fear, "but Amin is in danger."

Geordi figures as he checks the sensors nearby, "I'm not detecting anyone near the transporter pads...but I can manually beam Amin, Captain Picard, and Doctor Crusher to Sickbay from here."

Commander Troi adds nervously, "Will..." Suddenly, a human man with medium black hair and jet black clothes beams into Main Engineering, aiming a handheld phaser at Geordi.

He mutters, "unless you want an unfortunate accident to happen to some of your passengers, step away from the console." Data's focus on lowering force fields is slowing his usually quick response time.

Tyrik asks, "what is…?"

The intruder chuckles a little, "let's just say that for the good of the Federation...you'll back down."

As Geordi reluctantly steps away from the console, Tyrik tries to sneak up behind the intruder to give him a Vulcan neck pinch. Unfortunately, he knows. The intruder comments, "you really thought you could stop us from getting our way? Who do you think was able to make the Enterprise unresponsive to its own officers?" In the middle of saying this, the intruder rams a shoulder and an elbow into Tyrik hard. He's knocked against the floor with the wind knocked out of him, but an opportunity comes in those few seconds.

Commander Riker comments, "you seem to talk too much." He and Commander Troi take this opportunity to blast the intruder with their handheld phasers, taking out the intruder by surprise. Or so it seems. The intruder's body has disappeared. Geordi turns back to the console he was at to beam Amin, Captain Picard, and Commander Crusher to Sickbay. Then the force fields around Main Engineering go down, allowing security to come in.

One of the security officers asks if the others are ok.

Commander Troi assures the officer, "we're...fine."

Riker urges, "just keep an eye out for anyone in...a jet black set of clothes." They suddenly realize that Reia has been brought in custody to them.

Commander Troi points out a little unnerved, "I'm sensing...so much hatred."

Reia says, "that's not all you'll be sensing...now that you fell for Oren's trap." Before anyone can react, the intruder Oren beams behind the security officers to ram his arms into them and knock them out. Tyrik gets up soon after.

And with Commander Riker and Commander Troi not wanting to accidentally hit more getting knocked over security officers, Reia gets the opportunity to affect everyone but Oren with her psionic powers by giving them feelings of hatred. Everyone conscious except Data start attacking each other with phasers, but Tyrik's Vulcan mentality gives him somewhat better control over his emotions. Oren offers, "you're not like the rest. Look at these officers: Lost in their own feelings, when they should be thinking of the greater good! Join Section 31...and together we'll make the Dominion fall."

Tyrik mutters coldly, "may your greater good be damned." He channels out his hatred by blasting Reia with his handheld phaser, stopping the feelings of hate as Reia falls to the floor unconscious.

Oren calls out in shocking realization, "no!" He and Reia get beamed away before anyone can get a clear shot at him. At the same time, Tyrik quickly beams Amin to a random place on Talar. Everyone affected by the sudden feelings of hatred tries to act as though nothing happened, too embarrassed or too shocked to say much. Data tries to beam Amin back.

Tyrik mutters in defiance, "no." Before anyone can stop him, he blasts the console with his handheld phaser to prevent Data's efforts. Tyrik is taken into custody by security, but he succeeded in beaming a revived Amin to Talar. Captain Picard puts Tyrik in the Brig for his upcoming trial. Most of the Talarians see this as an act of war, but only time will tell if the Dominion decides to help them with their war against the Talarian resistance or not.


	4. Part 4: Reexamination

Storm Shadows: A Deep Space Nine/Voyager Crossover

Part 4:

A year ago, somewhere on Earth…

In a classroom surrounded by a greenhouse styled glass dome were ten or so humans of varying age, looks, and gender in blue chairs. One of these humans was a young woman with long black hair, looking nervous as hell along with most of the other humans in the room with her. One of the many glass panels that made up the dome changed from clear to black, with a Starfleet styled communication screen appearing on it. Ten phasers on turret platforms were perched on windowsill like black ledges above. A replicator on a thin silver desk was in front of each human.

A short blond haired woman with light gray over dark grey formal wear named Toby Russell appeared on the screen and said, "class, shall we begin our neuroscience lesson?" A trapdoor in the center of the room lead to a dark blue walled circular corridor with a automatic door to each of the ten starship styled guest quarters below. Ten hand sized phaser turrets were armed across the corridor in the same formation. Outside was an arctic wind spiraling around the icy mountaintop the classroom was on, which only had a few phaser equipped Sydney class Federation transport ships that looked like gray vans with warp nacelles guarding the area.

Most of the students nervously responded, "yes, Ms. Russell." The mentioned young woman in particular just remains silent.

Toby implied, "good. Now, you are going to take your final exam. That's right: You are all going to be returned to civilization…" Some students seemed overjoyed, some were crying, some rubbed their eyes to check if they were dreaming, but that particular woman just stared coldly at Toby's image.

The particular young woman commented to herself lowly, "you sure aren't."

Toby wondered a little concerned as she stared at her coldly, "what was that, Clara?"

Clara sighed a little, "nothing, Ms. Russell."

Toby sighed with partial relief, "good. As I was saying, you are all going to be returned to civilization…if you pass this final exam. Now, everyone get a genitronic replicator…" Just as Toby said this, five big black sheeted medical beds with black robotic beaker tipped arms materialized to the front and back of the room. A number of small gray medical devices were also on each bed. All the students looked extremely shocked. Toby added creepily, "the other necessary tools, and a partner. I don't have to tell you what failure means for…" As all the teary eyed students walked to the genitronic replicators, something even more shocking happened.

Clara cried out in uncontrollable anger and sadness, after having closed her now strangely fully dark eyes briefly to wipe the potential tears away. All the other students tried hard to ignore her, fearing the phaser turrets above would blast them should they disobey Toby.

Only a student with short black hair turned to her, calling out her name. This same student rushed toward her, only to be blasted to unconsciousness by one of the automatic phaser turrets above.

Toby ordered, "stand down, Clara! I repeat…!" Clara stopped crying briefly, only to cry out again.

A few miles above the glass domed room…

A few Starfleet helm officers were within the mostly gray Klingon styled interior of one of the circling armed Sydney class transport vessels. One of them with medium brownish black hair suggests with a sigh, "this has to be the most boring…!" In the middle of the sentence, she starts clutching her head in mental pain with one hand as her other hand starts to uneasily reach for her nearby phaser.

The opposite helm officer with medium blond hair asks, "what the…?" He opens a channel. The same helm officer calls out, "to any Starfleet vessel, we have a medical…!" The first helm officer grabs her phaser and unexpectedly blasts the controls at a dangerous setting.

She cries out in Clara's voice at the same time, "go away!" The explosion from the phaser blast sets the two officers and the rest of the vessel on fire, sending it spiraling down towards the glass domed room at alarming speed.

Back in the glass domed room…

Clara calls out, "go to hell!" Toby and the other students then hear the spiraling down internally flaming vessel from above, glowing red hot from the outside in its descent. A shocked Toby vanishes from the screen.

One of the other conscious students asks very scared, "do you realize…?"

Clara presses, "this way! Hurry!" She makes her way down the trapdoor and the one bolted red ladder heading down to the circular corridor below, with several of the other students following her lead without hesitation. A extremely loud crash sounds off above the trapdoor as the burning up Sydney class transport vessel explodes in pieces against the room most of the students were in twenty seconds ago. The last student to make it down closes the trapdoor above, briefly clutching the ladder hard with both legs before regaining balance. Clara and the other students with her cover their ears and close their eyes. Clara sighs with relief, "I think…we're safe."

In a present day starship…

Unfortunately, as a wide room with a gray grid and yellow dots appears before Clara, she realizes that she was in a holodeck for a considerable time. Her eyes have returned to being human eyes, but they were glaring at someone. Clara inquires angrily, "what is this? A game?" Standing before her is a Vulcan woman with short dark brown hair and jet black clothes, who is accompanied by two male humans with matching clothes.

She figures with a little sigh, "no Clara: A test. Your effort and strategy were commendable, but what you are about to face will be your ultimate test."

Clara exclaims, "don't you dare call me that! As even you can see, I'm no longer that woman."

The Vulcan woman remarks, "that is debatable. What do you want to be called?"

Clara adds coldly, "I'm Cass, you emotionless slime bucket."

One of the human men turns to Cass's apparent questioner, "this is taking too long, Valar. We're running out of…!"

Valar comments, "you humans and your emotions. Wait on the Bridge…or I will dispose of you both." Without another word, both men in mostly held back unease leave the holodeck.

Cass questions, "what in the Federation is…?"

The opposite woman suggests, "we as Section 31 have the interests of the people of the Federation at heart...especially when the Federation itself does not know what is good for them. And we want you to work for us."

Cass chuckles bittersweetly a little, "you have a way with words, don't you now? I know that you serve the Federation…"

Valar urges coldly, "I know what you are capable of and that you are not really a genetically enhanced human, but there is little time to explain or deduce what is going on. So, I strongly suggest that you take it all in one step at a time…before you do something that you would not for any reason want to relive on a holodeck."

Cass concludes as she tries to remain calm with a big sigh, "I also know that I can give the Federation hell…but that'll depend on the situation presented to me."

Valar urges, "this way." Cass and Valar start to head towards the automatic double doors to the Section 31 ship's Bridge. Suddenly, a bright white flash appears...along with members of the Q Continuum of varying gender and looks.

One of them says, "you thought you could hide a half Q from us?"

Cass realizes a little shaken, "a half Q? Such a thing is unheard of."

Valar insists with a cold stare, "I do not see why you have to interfere with Section 31 affairs. We are no threat to you."

A second Q points out, "you are one of us, Cass. And we don't think this quantum reality is right for you. But since our civil war was won by liberalists, it's your decision."

Cass deduces, "wait. Because you are Q, is time frozen for us now?"

The first Q chuckles a little, "of course."

Cass turns to Valar, "you were saying?"

Valar implies, "how do you know that after years of Federation mistreatment, you are not simply seeing what you want to see?"

Cass reasons teary eyed, "I don't, but I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts either way. Then again, if this is part of some Federation torture…then wouldn't another nightmare come by now?"

The second Q presses, "does that mean…?"

Cass figures, "not just yet. If this Valar has good reason to recruit me into Section 31…which I highly doubt…then I'll stay. If not, I'll go with you…and you can blast her for all I care." As she says this, she turns into Vulcan form.

The first Q sighs, "very well. Seems kind of overdone though, if you ask me."

Valar checks now uneasily, "I do not get a say in this, do I?"

Cass pushes, "unless you'd rather just tell me what is going on in this reality."

Valar sighs a little, "that would be logical. I will elaborate on this galaxy's greatest threat for your satisfaction and perhaps also for Section 31's satisfaction...even though there is someone much more qualified to brief you."

Cass urges, "proceed anyway."


	5. Part 5: Tempermental

Storm Shadows: A Deep Space Nine/Voyager Crossover

Part 5:

Valar summarizes, "for one thing, Section 31 is the last form of resistance…from any alliance or civilization in the entire galaxy."

Cass pushes with a small chuckle, "can't you at least try to give me one good reason to stay?"

Valar sighs a little, "remember when you saved those students in the holodeck? If these cold abominations had them all captured, they would immediately become abominations themselves."

Cass remarks, "under all that slime, you actually care for the underrepresented?"

Valar chuckles a little, "as a certain Klingon called Alexander once said in a speech on Deep Space Nine as words of encouragement: Even when it comes to survival, nothing is a simple matter of genetics."

Cass figures somewhat reluctantly, "I still don't trust you…but past your mentally guarded thoughts is truth."

Valar pushes, "logic is truth. There is no…!"

Cass decides with a small chuckle, "I will stay: On one condition."

Valar deduces, "that explains the Q's current absence."

Cass adds, "then I will be in charge of Section 31."

Valar mutters in greatly held back anger, "given the increasingly strenuous circumstances surrounding your mission…I will let you be in charge of the task force."

Cass adds coldly, "fine, but understand this: If you plan on double crossing me, you will seriously regret it." She turns back to human form.

Valar retorts, "I already have serious doubts about you. I doubt that you can escalate them further."

Several minutes later in normal time…

Valar and the two Section 31 human agents from the holodeck had escorted Cass through the technologically advanced but deceivingly seeming bland circular gray Bridge of the Section 31 starship, down a spiraling down corridor of a similar grayish blandness without windows or viewscreens, and into a chunk of a taken apart Borg vessel with a science lab table inside it. Cass finds herself among a group of six certain faces and four Section 31 human guards. Valar introduces, "Team Red Hour, this is our latest member Cass. Cass, this is Team Red Hour." Cass almost turns to her in a flash of held back suspicion as Valar is talking, but very soon dismisses it.

Cass adds with a hopeful smile, "hello."

Endri, Orrak, K'Olagh, Four, Tyrik, and a young genetically enhanced human woman with long golden brown hair named Sarina say hello back and introduce themselves back to Cass. Four, Endri, and Orrak do so uneasily with suspicions of their own.

Valar mutters coldly to Cass, "and since you are now the team leader, don't fail us…Supergirl." Valar and her guards leave the others, including a glaring Cass looking back at her.

K'Olagh roars with the amusement of a Klingon fighter, "a human female…is going to lead us?!"

Cass glares at him, "insult me again, and being without honor will be the least of your worries." At the same time, she in a flash of bright white light transports herself in front of K'Olagh's now far less humorous face.

Sarina urges in a slightly calm attempt to keep things from getting ugly, "wait! We can't afford anymore misconduct…"

Four realizes, "my Occular node is…picking up neural activity in flux."

Endri mutters, "took you long enough."

Sarina calls out, "…or casualties!"

K'Olagh growls loudly at Cass's face, getting ready to tackle her.

Cass transports all around him with a annoying chuckle, further annoying K'Olagh.

One of the Section 31 guards mutters, "I can't get a lock!" The Section 31 guards try to stop Cass with black enhanced Starfleet styled phasers, but realize too late to do much else that their phasers couldn't hit Cass quick enough in her self transporting state.

Sarina warns, "get down!" Several rewired Borg panels explode as a result of the phaser fire, knocking Orrak and Four into unconsciousness before they can react. Sarina and Endri duck out of range in time behind the science lab table.

Endri chuckles a little to herself, "can't say I blame her."

Tyrik urges, "she is clearly not human. You must…!" He tries to Vulcan neck pinch K'Olagh into unconsciousness, but K'Olagh simply knocks his arm away with a harsh back swing of his shoulder. Tyrik falls to the ground, barely starting to get up in mostly held back pain.

K'Olagh roars again, charging at Cass.

A second Section 31 guard commands, "fire!" All four Section 31 guards phaser blast in K'Olagh's direction to try to stop him, but Cass simply transports herself above K'Olagh in Klingon form and kicks him hard out of range.

Cass shouts in mid-kick, "Fek'lhr!" Tyrik stays down to avoid getting hit by the phaser fire. Sarina quickly gets up from under the table.

She orders quite uneasily, "target K'Olagh's left leg!" K'Olagh crashes into a now dented circuited wall, with Cass self transporting under him to grab him by the leg. The Section 31 guards at the same time hit K'Olagh and Cass where Cass just grabbed K'Olagh, ensuring that they both fell unconscious simultaneously in one shot.

Endri starts to wonder, "how did…?!"

Sarina chuckles a little, "we all have our secrets, Endri. Put Cass on the table first."

The first Section 31 guard figures with a dark chuckle, "you'll get no argument from me."

An hour or so later…

Cass back in human form finds herself sitting on a hard grayish black panel, waking up in a Borg alcove before the armed Section 31 guards. She groans very uneasily, "what did…?!" Cass tries unsuccessfully to get up, very dizzy and nauseous while barely sitting back on the panel.

A third agent among the guards comments, "guess being half Q isn't easy for yourself either." He and the other guards slightly lower phasers.

The second agent sighs a little, "she's all yours, doctor." The guards leave Cass in the apparently multipurpose Borg section of the Section 31 starship. Sarina was standing behind the guards before they left, but was not leaving with them. She walks over to Cass's uneasy half Q body with noticeable concern, soon after sitting down in front of her.

Sarina checks, "you ok?"

Cass sighs in between heavy coughs, "no…but…"

Sarina tries to assure her, "the hypospray will probably wear off in a half hour. In the meantime, do not talk. It will only make it worse." Cass slightly nods reluctantly at this.

Sarina points out with a heavy sigh, "I know that it can be very tempting to strike out at every harsh judgment made about you, especially after what you have been through. But, do you want to prove people like K'Olagh right by becoming as harsh as they say you are? And by becoming a worse captain? Judging from your present actions inside and outside of the holodeck, I do not think you want to be. But only you can decide for yourself who you want to be. Just something to think about…Cass." Sarina slowly gets up in the middle of making her point, but stays before Cass to finish making that point. Sarina then leaves Cass to her mixed thoughts.


	6. Part 6: Dangerous

Storm Shadows: A Deep Space Nine/Voyager Crossover

Part 6:

The following morning, on the Section 31 vessel…

Cass and the rest of Team Red Hour find themselves back in the Borg chamber, with their guard escorts bizarrely leaving them alone. K'Olagh back on his feet with his Klingon armor back on mutters, "I thought they'd never stop watching us…unless we're being sent to fight for them."

Orrak sighs hard, "we're not even…that fortunate."

Cass pushes, "oh, come on! There's too much at stake here to just..." She realizes then along with her teammates that someone else had just come, and that someone is Reia in her jet black Section 31 outfit.

Reia herself concludes very sarcastically, "let you destroy yourselves? Whatever gave you that idea?!"

Tyrik talks back, "perhaps the tempers of certain Section 31 agents."

Cass chuckles hard at this, "wait a second. A Betazoid Section 31 agent…is going to be our Federation guardian angel now?"

Reia reasons, "I could say the same about you." Cass glares back.

Endri points out very nervously, "even so Cass, this agent's telepathic abilities are off the scale: Possibly even beyond that of a half Q."

Four reasons, "and it would be highly counterproductive to not comply at this time, even if we wanted to resist."

Reia chuckles darkly, "Cass…I know you're about to attempt to mind read me. I can't blame you for that, because I'm also a mind reader. But if I know that, you're clearly out of your league. All you need to know is that you'll suffer worse than Valar did if you do, Betazoid or not."

Cass sighs hard, very much looking at Reia with anger on her mind.

Orrak urges, "Tyrik, you know this agent. Is there truth to this?"

Tyrik recalls with greatly held back anger, "yes. Reia can not only read several minds at once…but also interject any emotion into several minds. I logically speak from experience."

Orrak turns to Cass, "clearly, we shouldn't fight her: At least not yet." This slightly calms Cass down.

She suggests, "ok, evil Katra: What's next on the schedule?"

Reia darkly laughs, "something you should all find…challenging."

Last night…

Cass was walking around and taking in her completely gray windowless starship like Section 31 quarters, with just a sonic shower and pullout sink compartments as indicative signs of Starfleet technology from within. She sighed hard, "it'll have to do. Least the Classroom had customizable…quarters. Come in." Cass simultaneously heard a electronic beep from the automatic doors to the living room like section of her quarters, which opened to reveal Orrak accompanied by some Section 31 guards.

Orrak chuckled a little, "impressive."

A Section 31 guard concluded trying to hide some unease, "guess you already know where we'll be too...if anyone tries anymore stunts." Orrak entered Cass's quarters with the automatic doors closing behind him.

He checked, "and what is your mind reading telling you now?"

Cass chuckled a little, "I don't need to read minds to know someone is impressed with my stunt of the evening. Please, make yourself comfortable." She sat down on a gray chair, with her bare feet up on the gray center table. Orrak sat down opposite her on a second gray chair.

He reasoned, "do you also know that I have half a mind to follow you against all odds, and half a mind to put up a better fight than K'Olagh could?"

Cass reflected a bit more seriously, "yes: About your condition. How do you sleep at night, knowing you were missing in action when Cardassian civilization lost to the Scimitar's secret weapon?"

Orrak sighed hard, "nothing involving the Borg or the Dominion is easy to think about. But everyone has personal problems, like it or not."

Cass highlighted trying hard not to laugh, "I thought Cardassians don't show personal problems, whether they have them or not."

Orrak said lowly, "you disappoint me, Cass. Just became I'm a Cardassian doesn't mean I don't have feelings." He started to get up.

Cass reasoned coldly, "oh, I know your type: A evil mastermind. I knew it even before you came in." She very soon after got up too.

Orrak figured, "then why did you bother to let me into your quarters?"

Cass chuckled bittersweetly, "because that's what I need as a first officer. Your conditioning helps see two sides to everything, and your mind and personality would be perfect counterbalances to mine. Plus, you've been a Intelligence agent before."

Orrak mused with a brief laugh, "a half human archangel consulting in a Cardassian demon? You are playing a very dangerous game here, Cass."

Cass verbally retaliated, "as are you. You probably know how alien demons can fall with the snap of a Q's fingers."

Orrak pointed out, "only you're only half Q."

Cass mused bittersweetly, "let the games begin then?" She offered a hand in rival agreement, which Orrak shook hands with by his own hand.

Orrak chuckled a bit during the non-verbal accord, "as far as I'm concerned…they already started."

Presently, fifteen minutes later…

In outer space is a mainly dark brown double ringed rocket like prototype vessel propelled by golden lit propulsion systems, between the dark purple and red Paulson Nebula and a Borg cube. The prototype battleship is firing bright yellow disruptors and bright blue quantum torpedoes at random to try to weaken the Borg cube, but with little success. With the prototype battleship too far away to be tractor beamed, the Borg cube is firing bright green energy pulses at it. The prototype's deflector shields are being easily hit.

From within the powerful ship engaging the Borg cube is a Cardassian Bridge made of pink diamond pattern wall decorations surrounded by other multicolored glass like tiles, twin pale brown and white upward claw themed reactor cores, highly advanced Cardassian computer panels, and a Deep Space Nine like door. Borg Queen like Reia declares, "I am Reia of Borg. Resistance is…"

Endri comments with a heavy sigh, "cut off communication channels already! It's bad enough that I had to go through this once, but with…"

The computer responds, "communication channels offline. Shields are down to forty percent."

K'Olagh comments to himself, "makes the fight that more glorious. I shall have honor! Dreadnought: Attack Pattern Sierra Three." A series of matter and antimatter explosives carefully phaser cut into photon torpedo sized firepower are from Dreadnought's torpedo storage automatically fired next through the torpedo launchers at the unsuspecting Borg cube. The Borg cube has a series of moon crater sized holes in front, but manages to hit Dreadnought's shields again.

Cass sighs a bit, "I know you hate me and my emotional outbursts. But if you were being assimilated by the Borg…wouldn't you do the same?"

Endri expresses, "you're seriously comparing the Federation to…?!"

The computer points out, "Shields are down. Borg cube down to eighty five percent." The Borg cube catches Dreadnought in a tractor beam, pulling it into Reia's telepathic range.

Four figures, "the Borg is accessing the plasma wave: We fail."

Cass insists angrily, "not yet!"

A half hour or so after the Earth equivalent dawn of the present day…

Cass on her gray cushioned bed and matching bedcovers was eating her remaining half of a platter of deep fried Earth appetizers on a black medical like food tray, when she heard someone electronically beeping at the door. Cass shouted a little caught off guard in the middle of a bite, "just a minute!" She finished the same bite and put the tray aside behind her on the way towards the door. Cass urged, "enter." Four of Ten was at the door with some guards, which closed behind Four of Ten as she stepped into the room. Cass added, "I assume being a former drone, you wish to stand?"

Four of Ten added a little taken aback, "yes. My Ocular Node detected you are half Q. Perhaps I should have…fully assimilated the information before coming here."

Cass sighed hard, "perhaps…but I'm sorry too. Clearly, I either can't read emotions well in this form or think well this morning."

Four of Ten commented lowly, "then I should clarify: I do not tolerate being invasively probed! It is…almost as though I am about to be Borg again." Cass sat down on the gray chair she was in last night, but without her feet up.

She figured with her head briefly in her hands, "maybe it's me that is still in neural flux, Four of Ten…or Four. I'm not as adjusted to this situation with Section 31 as the rest of the team probably is…but I'll have to adapt quickly because I'm now the team captain."

Four of Ten assessed a little calmer, "perhaps. Four would suffice. Do you require solitude, captain?"

Cass decided, "before I even think of bringing up what I require, what did you come for?"

Four reasoned somewhat nervously, "after you took out your emotions on K'Olagh and consequently let me and Orrak lose consciousness, it was…necessary for my survival and for the team's survival to assess why."

Cass inquired somewhat taken aback herself, "and what is your assessment of me as team captain?" She briefly teleported herself back to her food tray to teleport it back to her seat, remembering she didn't finish it.

Four figured, "that you are in the process of adapting to the role of team captain prior to commencing with the duties it comes with…and that any logical assessment needs more time to be formed." Cass ate another appetizer before Four finished her conclusion.

Cass deduced, "sounds reasonable. But since you don't want me to mind read you and it's hard to otherwise know for sure what is true with Section 31, I'd like to know from the top your own words on who you are."

Four sighed a bit in mostly held back anger, "I…am sure talking to Dr. Sarina last night would have been more reasonable for that purpose."

Cass urged, "I'm sorry, ok?! I only…! Sigh." She took out her frustrations on eating a few more appetizers. Cass summarized quite shaken, "let's…just say you are not the only one struggling with her individuality and the aftereffects of assimilation. Whatever you want to disclose is fine."

Four sighed hard, "even Sarina may not know this, but you should know that I was a assimilative Andorian Empire Shen in the twentieth century…prior to the Andorian Empire's internal conflict centered on returning to the old ways in a futile conflict against the Dominion centuries later and prior to Borg assimilation."

Cass was halfway finished with her last appetizer when she interjected in interruption, "wait a second! The Borg was around that long ago?"

Four implied, "that is irrelevant to my account. And V'Ger is not around to provide a good enough explanation anyway. After seeing through the eyes of the Borg and becoming an individual again on the Federation starship USS Voyager, I still thought that the older ways were best." Cass finished the last appetizer.

She pointed out, "but then how could you know about the twenty fourth century Dominion conflict in the Alpha Quadrant?"

Four revealed to Cass's great shock, "if it was not for Borg nanoprobes onboard Voyager, I would have been destroyed with most of my organic body years ago. In fact, it led to Voyager bringing the only intergalactic threat remaining to the Dominion with them: Hundreds of thousands of individual former Borg drones with identical two way transmitters, including me. The Borg shortly after came and assimilated most of the galaxy…but resistance against assimilation remains and history is highly likely to repeat itself." Cass hurled the tray against the gray carpeted floor as she got up.

Cass realized noticeably rising in temper, "your twentieth century Andorian Empire was retaken by resistance fighters. And yet only in recent years, you go from assimilative to fatalistic?! You know something? The conditions may be very similar, but we…!" Abruptly, her form bounced back and forth from Borg drone to human. At the same time, the close by Section 31 guards came in with their phasers at hand. Cass cried out fully aware of what was happening with her head in her hands, "not again! No!"

One of the guards demanded, "what happened?!" Four was standing back to let them take Cass out, but not before Cass ripped the chair behind her off the floor in a failed attempt to block the phaser fire which also fell.

Four very nervously answered, "probably Cass…attempting to preserve us by taking out her emotions on herself. Excuse me." She left the room rather quickly, leaving the guards to take unconscious Cass to Sarina.

About five hours later, in the present day…

Endri and Tyrik aim their phasers at Cass, but Orrak and K'Olagh aim their phasers at them to make them think twice about it. Cass transports off of Dreadnought in those seconds. Tyrik presses coldly, "you too, K'Olagh?"

K'Olagh reasons, "if even Cass keeps fighting, so do we." Borg drones beam randomly onto Dreadnought in efforts to assimilate it and onboard Team Red Hour agents, but Team Red Hour resists Borg wave after Borg wave. Cass appears on the Borg cube seconds before its shielding comes back up.

Cass lashes out, "all right, evil Katra: Meet the new Emissary of the Prophets!" She speeds past Borg drone after Borg drone, blasting some with her phaser and blasting random bridge supports under several others.

Some hours earlier…

In a massive dark bluish gray cavern with large spear like rock formations was Tyrik's Section 31 uniformed body. Orrak had just knocked him unconscious with the blunt side of his Section 31 phaser. He called out, "blasted Echo Papa 607! We don't have much time!" A few but powerful mainly dark brown microphone shaped hovering drones with thin bright orange visor like sensors across the middle of their rounded football shaped heads came rushing towards Orrak.

Cass in Borg drone form shouted back, "I'd like to see you do better! Damn Echo Papa 607 adaptability is blocking my every attempt to override…it." She was plugged into a bright red lantern like energy emitting rock pillar with her gray wire like Borg assimilation tubules from one hand. In the other was a Section 31 phaser at the ready. Four was close by unconscious on the ground. Cass had just realized that Valar was aiming her phaser at Cass herself.

Valar coldly laughed a bit, "you assumed that you could make it appear like Four was still active in this simulation through impersonation: Just to get Section 31 files and control the holodeck without me noticing. Impressive…but short lived."

Orrak broke into a run while unsuccessfully firing his phaser at them from behind several times, with green phaser blasts from both Echo Papa 607 drones after him as well. Then he fired at a spear like rock stalactite from high above to send it crashing into the then exploding Echo Papa 607 drone under it. Orrak called back, "you're welcome?! Hello?! Ohh." He saw Endri in front of him, with K'Olagh's stolen Klingon armor over her Section 31 uniform and a Section 31 phaser in hand.

Endri chuckled briefly, "miss me?" With one hand behind her back, she interestingly fired a second camouflaged Section 31 phaser on the dark waist plating of K'Olagh's stolen armor at Orrak. He fell unconscious as Endri ran from a third Echo Papa 607 drone coming after her, using some of the ground rock formations as green phaser fire cover.

In the midst of Endri's surprise attack, Valar fired her phaser at Cass. Cass chuckled, "your mistake." She hurled her phaser in the phaser fire's direction fast enough to block it. The same phaser exploded in front of Valar's face, temporarily blinding her with bright light. Valar didn't drop her phaser, but it bought Cass enough time to disengage herself from the pillar and turn into Betazoid form. Cass shouted simultaneously, "your logic…is irrelevant!" Cass cried out incomprehensibly, with Valar bent over in mental pain just as her vision was returning.

Cass's voice echoed in Valar, "my logic…is…! No!" Endri used her phaser to take out Cass, giving shaken mental control back to Valar. Endri rushed over to them as the holodeck returned to its original grid form.

She checked in great shock, "what in the Great Fire is…?!"

Valar muttered lowly between heavy breathing, "class…is over."

Back in the present time of the present day…

Cass, physically very exhausted from running hard, stops at a random row of Borg alcoves to catch her breath. Seconds later, Cass in Betazoid form overwhelmingly cries out in the midst of closing in Borg drones. They all start shaking in mental pain before falling to unconsciousness, including the latest Borg wave on the freed Dreadnought and Borg Queen Reia.

Borg Queen Reia realizes, "not…me." Cass falls unconscious herself several seconds afterwards against the Borg bridge under her feet in mental overload. As the holodeck returns to electronic grid form, Reia chuckles sickly, "poor youthful mind reader: Doesn't know when to quit."


	7. Part 7: Fireworks

Storm Shadows: A Deep Space Nine/Voyager Crossover

Part 7:

That afternoon, at least an hour after Cass regaining consciousness…

Cass and the other Team Red Hour members are on the Section 31 starship's Bridge, with Reia right behind them. Orrak sighs, "if you just took us up here to gloat…" A holo-emitter enhanced greenish black rimmed viewscreen shows itself across the front Bridge windows.

Reia laughs a bit, "of course not. This is Mr. and Mrs. Loose Cannon's chance to be turned loose on physical Borg."

K'Olagh growls sharply.

The viewscreen cycles through several iconic locations in response to another Section 31 Agent's voice command, "Milky Way…Alpha Quadrant…Deep Space Nine."

Cass retaliates at Reia, "so you're married?" Orrak, Endri, and K'Olagh try hard to hold back their inner laughter. Reia angrily makes every Team Red Hour agent scream in mental pain, each of them now mentally seeing himself or herself trapped in force fields before a certain individual from his or her past. Orrak and K'Olagh both see a Founder, Endri and Four both see a Borg Queen, Tyrik sees a octopus-bear hybrid version of Reia, and Cass sees Toby Russell in Section 31 clothes with her whole left side being Borg.

Reia's voice chaotically echoes from all six, "Transcoil Hyperbian to Intertargs…Amphiwarp rims the universal Gravitold core for several Qons past the Outertants Threshreach Propamorph…the Big Omegig Quanter parallels in Realium crash if longer Qons…but the Protorane destabilized on Ketraco shall be reverlutioning you all for counterscious until in Slipange! See if we don't." Reia back on the physical Bridge laughs sickly to herself as white chalky looking gas covers everyone onboard including her.

Primal versions of Cass's forms cycle through aching Cass. Her and primal versions of every other aching agent get isolated by force fields. In sync with the primal strangeness, the Section 31 vessel goes into a controlled version of the typical 24th century warp core breach level dangerous Warp 10 restriction called Interwarp. This solid black starship modeled similarly to 21st century Zeffram Cochrane's prototype spaceship the Phoenix passes swirling images of every place possible, every time possible, and every improbability in a matter of relatively present time minutes.

The primal forms of agents intriguingly remain as such during Interwarp, without improbable biological changes changing them demonstrated by so called hyper-evolution in a certain Voyager helmsman. Just as quickly as the starship's Interwarp drive starts Interwarp, it stops in normal space. The Section 31 vessel is briefly in front of a Borg version of Deep Space Nine, with many popping in and out stable but starship sized wormholes similar to the Bajoran Wormhole circled around it. Then the same vessel goes back into Interwarp. The Section 31 starship and its site-to-site transport of Team Red Hour didn't even register on Borg scanners.

In mental related aftereffects, during site-to-site transport…

Against what seems to be the bluish nebula cloud like area called the Outer Rim by Picard, six bright white silhouettes of Team Red Hour are talking to each other. K'Olagh mutters to himself, "is Gre'Thor upon us now? Cause it sure feels like Gre'Thor to me: To think that I'm going to be stuck here with such Hur'q!"

Cass talks back to a glaring K'Olagh, "well, you wanted to go all Gik'tal in a Mok'tah in the first place."

Endri sighs hard, "no: Because you couldn't stop picking fights with everyone! If it wasn't for…"

Tyrik assesses, "actually, this is very reminiscent…of my mission on Talar. Logically…it should pass!"

Orrak remarks, "pass on to what is the real question then."

K'Olagh reasons in partial relief, "least anything is better than here."

Cass muses, "even down by Botany Bay, where Khan's kind waits?"

Four considers, "if even four of us were double gendered, survival would still be highly likely through enough Shelthreths."

K'Olagh sighs bitterly, "I stand corrected." His silhouette sits down facing the other way.

Cass expresses, "well fatalist sicko, not that many of us can be Andorian: Now can we?!"

Orrak urges urgently, "if all of you could have just been quiet for one second…just maybe Reia's mind game would have worn off by now and I wouldn't have five voices running around in my head screaming five levels of ignorance!" Shortly after in stunned silence, a brighter white light flashes over them all.

Presently, in Deep Space Nine…

Amazingly still conscious, the six Team Red Hour members physically fully restored in their normal forms slowly get up in what used to be Deep Space Nine's establishment of Quark's. Instead of tables and a Ferengi Dabo wheel, there are interestingly diagonally arranged dusty Borg alcoves and a force field bubble near the still intact stairs to the holosuites. The Borg alcoves have Borg drones with a certain familiarity about them, and the force field bubble has a silvery like golden liquid that is seemingly repeatedly spinning like a washing machine. Only Borg floor and ceiling panel circuitry connects them all together.

Cass mutters coldly to Four, "don't…say it."

Four reasons, "perhaps you have a different assessment?" Team Red Hour is on their feet again, but no Borg drone attacks them. They start to also notice that outside of what was formerly Quark's, there are more typical dustless Borg alcoves lined up against Quark's former area's still intact surrounding walls.

Cass reflects bittersweetly, "and all it took was lecture hell with peer discussion to follow."

Orrak realizes with a small laugh of partial embarrassment, "I…should have known. You set off Reia without mind reading so you could mind read her, knowing we weren't gone."

Cass adds, "except for not knowing anything for sure during lecture hell…pretty much."

Endri mutters harshly, "well, I'm not taking anymore chances with your so called outbursts: Q!"

Cass starts to warn, "you don't…!" Endri fires her then taken out phaser at Cass, with a somewhat caught off guard Cass tumbling out of range behind a close by diagonal Borg alcove. One of the Borg drones in the diagonal Borg alcoves gets indirectly overloaded by the blast.

K'Olagh shouts, "what the hell are you doing?!" He and Tyrik take out their phasers, only to have Orrak fire his phaser at Tyrik unexpectedly while Endri fires her phaser at K'Olagh. The remaining Borg drones start moving from their alcoves, including a significant number of Cardassian Borg drones from the diagonal Borg alcoves.

Orrak chuckles darkly, "what does it look like?" Tyrik though quickly side step jumps out of Orrak's phaser fire to use another diagonal Borg alcove as temporary cover. K'Olagh jump charges for Endri, tackling her hard against the floor before she can get a good enough phaser lock on him. Endri kicks K'Olagh against several then smashed to the floor Borg drones, temporarily dazing him. Orrak and Tyrik charge at each other, punching past incoming Borg drones on the way.

During all of this, not far off…

Cass has managed to teleport herself in range of a very uneasy Four before teleporting both of them out of range of the unfolding chaos. They appear on the amazingly mostly intact second floor of Quark's, minus the wall Borg alcoves over the railings and walls. With Cass and Four not attacking any of the moving Borg drones, they ignore them anyway. Four mutters harshly, "of all the dirty…!"

Cass partially assures, "well, you don't want to be blasted by the likes of Endri or Orrak…do you now?"

Four recalls, "but if you assess that I am too fatalistic…?!"

Cass bittersweetly assures, "not for the counterattack I have in mind."

Back on Deep Space Nine's ground floor…

Tyrik mutters harshly, "this is all illogical!" He punches out the top of a empty Borg alcove, but Orrak tumble kicks it right into Tyrik's head.

Orrak concludes, "then how come I'm still figuratively standing?" He is getting up over a unconscious Tyrik, blasting some nearby Borg drones into overload while spin kicking several more into blast range. Orrak sees a familiar figure heading for the force field bubble. He figures, "oh come now, Cass! You got to do better than that to stop Cardassian Intelligence."

K'Olagh simultaneously mutters, "nice try, Hur'q." He had just side blasted Endri to unconsciousness with his phaser after ramming both fists into her from behind her. K'Olagh grabs a random Borg drone to spin clobber into several more Borg drones before hurling it high against a railing section on the second floor.

In a heated response to Orrak, Cass in physical Four impersonation shouts back, "oh, really?! I mind read all of your tricks already, evil mastermind!" She fires her phaser at Orrak, making his phaser glowing hot before it explodes out of his hands.

K'Olagh on his feet shouts from behind him, "Petaq!"

Orrak mutters, "oh, do shut up already!" He with help from sharply elbowing then coughing hard K'Olagh to the floor steals his phaser. In sync with Orrak's latest surprise attack, Cass is hurriedly using her Borg tubules to better access the force field bubble's systems.

Cass mutters harshly, "damn Borg interconnectivity! Come on!"

At the same time, at a certain Borg alcove on the second floor…

Another Cass interestingly back in Vulcan form appears before red eyed Gul Dukat's Borg alcove. The original Cass here sighs hard, "for all our sakes…this better work." She initiates a Vulcan mind meld with Gul Dukat's mind, tapping into a Pah-wraith spirit's power from within him.

Mentally in a few physical minutes, during the mind meld…

Pah-wraith powered Gul Dukat laughs hard in an echoic voice, "do you really think…you are the next Emissary of the Prophets?" Through the original Cass, many terrible flashing images are seen by her mental vision. One set of images involves a overwhelmed Sisko going down in a spiritual battle with Pah-wraith possessed Gul Dukat at Deep Space Nine's Bajoran Temple. Another involves a flaming Bajor exploding in seconds, a turned inhabitable Cardassia by a high degree of Scimitar related pollution, and the second Founders' homeworld completely submerged in certain silvery liquid being destroyed by an armada of Borg missiles.

The original Cass presses, "least I can still dream, madman! If you had your way, everything would be destroyed: Yet here you are, held back by the Borg." A third set of images of Cass's mistreatment in the Classroom and mutual mistreatment between herself and Section 31 flash through Dukat's mental vision, mixed with the two other series of imagery. The original Cass's mental images enlarge in the mind meld, as if fighting back against Dukat's mental images.

Dukat pushes back just as hard, "my, you're full of fire: Just like your parents…and just like Sisko. But Emissary of the Prophets or not…Q or not...Section 31 agent or not…your foolish efforts for inspiring visions of intergalactic peace will end just like theirs!" A fourth series of imagery flashes through the original Cass.

This includes a storm struck house with a preteen human version of Cass teleporting out of range in mid-run, of Cass being behind a force field in a Starfleet detention cell with Admiral Ross watching her from a Starfleet Intelligence monitor, and of a Borg invasion of the Alpha Quadrant in the midst of Pah-wraith powered Gul Dukat leading Pah-wraith followers including many of his Cardassian army personnel alongside Section 31 allied resistance against Dominion forces in their own battle for control over the same intergalactic quadrant. These images get large enough to smash through the Cass images. The original Cass shrieks in mental overload.

Back in physicality…

The secondary Cass hears the shriek from below, slightly distracting her from disabling the force field bubble around a miniature Great Link worth of Changelings. She realizes sadly, "Cass." In that time though, Orrak blasts the secondary Cass against the floor. Cass's Borg drone form's enhanced Borg assimilation tubules' nanoprobes around the secondary Cass's head get destroyed, preventing the secondary Cass revealed to be a temporarily Cass possessed Four from being destroyed herself.

Orrak sighs hard, "if only I had more time." He blasts the force field bubble, destroying the miniature Great Link in fiery force field overload. By this time, at least half of Deep Space Nine is either exploding or burning in flames from all the recent phaser fire.

In sync with the aftereffect explosions, the original Cass falls unconscious before former Borg drone Dukat melts his former Borg alcove in glowing hot red flames around himself, melting away his Borg drone parts and fully reviving Dukat's Cardassian form in the process. The same revival process happens to every remaining former Borg drone all at the same time to their partial relief, Cardassian fighter or not. They cheer for their incoming leader Gul Dukat, who had just Pah-wraith power punched his way through a empty Borg alcove to confidently rise the same glowing red arm with a clenched fist before his army.

Intriguingly, all the apparently Pah-wraith powered starship sized wormholes disappear around the indirectly self destructing space station. Simultaneously, the Section 31 starship comes by Interwarp into the expanding explosions to swiftly transport both Team Red Hour and Gul Dukat's army to safety. Several Borg cubes are coming by Transwarp in a few seconds to attempt to get within firing range of their current resistance.

Partly before and partly during the transport, Gul Dukat looks down in the direction of his followers, "for Cardassia…we have a loyal Cardassian to thank for helping ourselves become whole again." Really though, he is looking down at a somewhat stunned Orrak who had joined in the cheering for Gul Dukat.

The Section 31 starship goes back into Interwarp before the incoming Borg cubes get a chance to even detect it, as Section 31 knew it would be.


	8. Part 8: Remixed

Storm Shadows: A Deep Space Nine/Voyager Crossover

Part 8:

Ninety minutes or so after the station wide Interwarp beaming…

Cass back in human form has recently awakened back in the alcove from last night, with growing physical anger in realization that her biggest counterattack yet failed. She struggles hard to break out accompanied by angry shouts, but with surprisingly no success against the force field surrounding the alcove. Cass demands teary eyed, "why?!"

With the only person in the room with her being Sarina, Sarina sighs hard, "when you…came to me for factual team member assessments, I knew you could read all of my knowledge. And ironically, just as fast as I could read all of yours."

Cass sighs hard in partial defeat at her current physical limitations, "what's Section 31's game this time? Using knowledge of being at a disadvantage when it comes to personality? Hell, I don't even really know you! And come to think of it, no one but Four and Orrak really does either!"

Sarina insists, "yes…you do! Only the aftereffects of your mind meld are the only things stopping you from realizing it."

Cass views very shaken, "so, I brought this upon myself?! No: This is all part of Dukat's sick mind game to…!"

Sarina adds, "yes and no…and no. Just please get ahold of…!"

Cass screams in a internal struggle, with her thought dependent half Q powers fighting themselves in an attempt to break free. She just ends up going into a half Vulcan half former Borg drone form generation cycle as an echo of the most recent forms she used, before falling unconscious again in her human form. Sarina quickly turns off the force field with help from genetically enhanced intellect.

Sarina shouts to incoming armed Section 31 Security ready to fire their phasers, "unless you want to go against Valar's orders, help me damnit!" She motions for Section 31 Security to bring Cass to the table while pressuring them, which they very uneasily do to Sarina's mixed relief.

Fifteen minutes ago…

Four has recently come out of her regeneration cycle and her Borg alcove, which is the only uniquely Borg technology in Four's Section 31 quarters instead of a horizontal cushioned bed. Except for a small Borg styled workshop area in replacement of sink compartments, the rest of her quarters are very similar to the Section 31 dullness of Cass's quarters. Four hears electronic beeping. She sighs a little, "enter." To her growing personal restlessness, Endri comes into Four's quarters with Section 31 Security relatively right outside.

Four judges harshly, "what do you want, Endri? To blast away all indications of your illogic?!"

Endri shouts back, "so now survival is illogical?! To think that I came to apologize to you now for being logical all along…now disgusts me!" They stand inches away, both angrily ready to attack the other in an instant.

Four remarks with a short chuckle, "even in Reia's mental aftereffect on us all…do you really still assess that Cass is a threat?"

Endri voices, "what kind of question from the Great Fire is that?! Were you not paying attention when I blasted at…?!" She pauses briefly, then starts chuckling hard before a very confused Four.

Four mutters coldly, "I fail to assess what caused your personal amusement here."

Endri reflects, "you, a Andorian former Borg drone, actually care for her: Don't you?"

Four voices harshly, "better than caring for you. Now get out before I give you something to really care about!" She quickly backhand punches Endri in the chest to emphasize her threat, knocking a coughing hard Endri against the floor. Section 31 Security comes in immediately.

One of them shouts at Four, "stand down, drone!"

Four puts her hands up, "phasers will not be necessary. Endri was just about to leave."

A second Section 31 Security member adds, "and so are you. Now come on, drone!" As Endri begins to get back up and recover from her moderate casualty, Section 31 Security still armed with their phasers escort Four away.

An hour earlier…

In a Section 31 holodeck, Dukat is blasting recreations of the Deep Space Nine crew on a Cardassian Terok Nor version of a Deep Space Nine that once was with a recreated Cardassian army. Dukat shouts, "now you'll show me the proper respect! Take that! And that! And…! What are you…?!" Dukat turns around to notice Orrak. He sighs with some relief, "well, if it isn't the Cardassian of the hour. Computer, freeze program! Now Orrak, this isn't what…"

Orrak points out, "it's not me you have to convince: It's Section 31."

Glowing red Dukat coldly warns with a laugh, "you wouldn't dare turn in Cardassia's greatest hero. Besides, I haven't done anything more than Cardassian justice...for Cardassia as I always have!"

Orrak implies, "oh, I wouldn't dare. But, perhaps you should think about what story to tell Section 31 so they can better understand Cardassian justice without passing Section 31 judgment on you."

Dukat chuckles a little, "they already have. Even ignorant Starfleet and all Bajorans of ungratefulness saw me as a monster: Me of all people! Why shouldn't Section 31 blindly do the same?"

Orrak reasons, "Section 31 is a Obsidian Order of a different color. Is that ignorant of them?"

Dukat subtly presses, "then I feel sorry for them…and for anyone else Cardassian or not that gets in the way of Cardassia's future."

Orrak chuckles a little, "you haven't told them, have you? About Cardassia?" Dukat with red Pah-wraith energy around his left arm easily lifts Orrak off the ground, much to Orrak's unease. Orrak tries to make that less clear to Dukat, "you're not really going to end my physical existence here…just because I have two voices in my head?!"

Dukat cries out in unleashed Pah-wraith anger as he throws Orrak against the paused Terok Nor recreation's nearest Cardassian airlock door. Soon after though, he revives a very nervous Orrak and his casualty.

Dukat sighs hard, "you're right…and you're wrong. With the Pah-wraiths on my side, Cardassia is not lost! I am destined to restore the Cardassian Union back to its long deserved glory: It's only a matter of time. I am also…sorry I lost my temper at you. In these troubled times, it can be hard to know when to stop fighting. Even a Pah-wraith can't say what side you're fighting on now. I though am most likely fighting the Gamma Quadrant with Section 31, as the Pah-wraiths are telling me now." Orrak gets back up, glaring at Dukat.

Orrak mutters harshly, "destined for Cardassia…or destined for destruction?" He heads out before a angry Dukat can blast him.

So instead, Dukat just furiously Pah-wraith energy blasts every frozen Deep Space Nine figure recreation around him to deletion including recreated versions of his own people.

Forty minutes earlier…

Tyrik Vulcan meditating in his Section 31 quarters hears an electronic beeping. He urges somewhat uneasy, "enter." K'Olagh surprisingly enters the living space of Tyrik's quarters, with Section 31 Security ready just outside the door at the first sign of trouble. Tyrik gets out of his meditation position to get up before K'Olagh. Tyrik realizes, "intriguing."

K'Olagh sighs hard, "hardly, Tyrik. I've been acting like a Petaq. The way you fought that dishonorable Orrak today…was the way of a true Klingon fighter."

Tyrik confused by this figures diplomatically, "perhaps."

K'Olagh figures with a laugh, "all you can say is perhaps, huh? Guess I can't expect less from a Vulcan though." He turns to leave Tyrik's quarters, then pauses. K'Olagh reflects, "for what it's worth, you have the makings of a worthy foe…or a worthy friend." And with that, he leaves a still confused Tyrik to meditate on what just happened.

An hour later in the present…

Cass wakes up back in the alcove, breathing heavily between tears in her human form. Several minutes later, she realizes that she is again alone with Sarina. Sarina sighs heavily, "Cass. You…" Cass slightly nods.

She sighs hard, with near dangerous shaking and hard coughing.

Sarina intriguingly thought urges with partial relief to Cass's half Q knowledge reading, "neither of us is at fault here: Section 31 didn't tell me about Dukat either. And Reia is very hard to read without her knowing about it." Sarina simultaneously checks Cass's sensor readings on tricorder.

Cass thought sighs to Sarina's genetically enhanced perception, "so now we both know about our mind reading. I assume we should continue this conversation this way."

Sarina adds in thought, "yes. I can only fool Section 31 monitoring for so long…" She starts to get out a hypospray.

Cass thought concludes, "and the mind meld outburst messed with that. If it means anything, I'm sorry for…"

Sarina thought insists, "think nothing of it: It was just mental aftereffects. But if it helps, I'm sure Reia is needed in the Beta Quadrant and Dukat is needed in the Gamma Quadrant." She hyposprays Cass with the hypospray, rapidly calming down Cass's physical casualties.

Cass thought thinks, "if it helps, I didn't suspect you and so didn't mind read you when looking for team member assessments. When you helped me see what I was becoming…" Cass's shaking is almost non-existent now.

Sarina thought voices, "thank you. I know that now. And now I assess that you know who I really work for." Very soon after, Sarina voices out loud, "other than possibly high mental side effects from Reia, you're in good health." She starts to put away her medkit.

Cass says out loud uneasily, "thanks." She quite dizzy starts getting up from the table to get off of it, still seeing afterimages and hearing echoes from the mind meld with Dukat. Cass thought thinks harshly in a moderate headache, "yes, yes, yes: Another resistance called the Maquis. But why are you…?!" At the same time, she grips the table to help stay upright.

Sarina thought explains, "Section 31 wouldn't take anymore risks with you if they knew what you're slowly gathering from Dukat's knowledge. In reality, I'm saving you again." She says out loud, "just remember to take this hypospray whenever you feel significantly overwhelmed for several weeks. By then, any remaining mental side effects should go away on your own time table." In sync with Sarina's words, she passes the hypospray she recently used to Cass. Cass's dizziness starts going down rapidly.

As Cass still unintentionally minorly shaking and dizzy gets the hypospray, she thought sighs, "clearly, I need treatment anyway. I guess after that, maybe I could see..."

Sarina urges out loud, "take your time. You don't want to overwhelm yourself again." She thought concludes, "shhh. You don't have to think anything else right now. At this rate, the Maquis will still be around for your consideration by the time you recover." Cass's physical casualties go away.

As she manages to still somewhat nervously get up from the table and back onto her feet, she voices out loud and in thought, "thanks again. I'm feeling better now…but I could sure as hell use some sleep right now." Cass very much physically exhausted right now starts walking back to her quarters, leaving Sarina on a overall more hopeful note.

Not long after…

In a primarily gray office room at an unknown location, Admiral Ross in Section 31 clothing is at a gray desk in front of a matching flatscreen. A familiar voice over the flatscreen reflects, "but I thought with Reia…!"

Admiral Ross sighs hard, "Cass has managed to overwhelm two of our best agents in one day. And ever since we greatly weakened galaxy wide Borg communications through securing Dukat to give us even the slightest chance of denting Borg cubes, Four is showing signs of possibly being the second most dangerous agent in Team Red Hour. Frankly, I don't know who else to turn to but you!"

The familiar voice argues, "in the Delta Quadrant, we already have more than enough Borg to deal with for a lifetime. We simply…!"

Admiral Ross argues back, "unless you can give me a better alternate for Cass, Section 31 has no choice! Cass and Four are clearly internal security risks that should be dealt with: One way or another."

The familiar voice sighs, "then unless Q like Q and Miss Q can take care of Cass for us…which I doubt at this point…I guess we're taking care of a half Q."

Admiral Ross figures, "then you already know the answer. On the bright side though, a half Q could be a one agent army against Delta Quadrant stationed Borg."

The familiar voice reflects, "true. You may have just made both our days then. We'll accommodate Cass and Four to the best of our ability."

Admiral Ross briefly chuckles, "sounds good…Agent Janeway."

**The Beginning Of Renewed Hope…Or Of Renewed Fear?**

**Please Feel Free To Comment On Or Continue This Storyline**


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